Home Office

Crimes of Violence

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following recent moped-related snatch crimes and acid attacks, they intend to introduce special measures to tackle those crimes.

baroness williams of trafford: In July 2017, the Home Secretary announced an action plan to tackle the use of acid and other corrosives substances in violent attacks. The action plan is based on four key strands: ensuring effective support for victims and survivors; effective policing; ensuring that relevant legislation is understood and consistently applied; and working with retailers to restrict access to acids and other harmful corrosive substances. We are also consulting on new legislative proposals on new offences in respect of selling the most harmful corrosive substances to under 18s and possession of a corrosive substance in a public place. On moped related crime, the Government is working with motorcycle and insurance industry leaders, the police, the Local Government Association, charities and representatives from the motorcycle riding community to identify a set of actions so that more can be done to prevent these crimes. This work sits alongside the review we have announced into the law, guidance and practice in relation to police pursuits and response driving.Officials have met representatives from Uber and UberEats to discuss this issue. We have ensured they are in contact with the Metropolitan Police Service so that they are aware of these concerns and to discuss what practical advice can be provided to their couriers and drivers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Asylum

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal announced by the government of Israel to encourage large numbers of African migrants to self-deport to third countries; and what representations they have made to (1) the government of Israel, and (2) international partners, concerning Israel’s international obligations in this regard.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not made any assessment on this issue, nor have we raised the issue with the Israeli authorities and international partners.

Sheikh Isa Qassim

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about (1) the house arrest, and (2) deteriorations in health, of Sheikh Isa Qassim since May.

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Bahrain about Sheikh Isa Qassim’s access to medical care since 26 November2017, with particular regard to interference with his medical care by the police.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have raised this issue with the Bahraini authorities, as recently as December 10th. These authorities have issued public statements making clear that Isa Qassim has access to healthcare with no impediment, and is not under house arrest. He is currently undergoing treatment in hospital.

Bahrain: Detainees

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to advise those with concerns about treatment of persons in detention in Bahrain to report those incidents to that country’s Ombudsman Office, the Ombudsman of the Ministery of Interior, and the Special Investigations Unit, given those bodies alleged role in the convictions of (1) Hajer Mansoor Hassan, (2) Sayed Nizar Nimaa Alwadaei, and (3) Mahmood Marzooq Mansoor on 30 October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The oversight bodies in Bahrain are independent organisations whose duty it is to investigate claims of mistreatment in detention. We continue to encourage those with such concerns to report them to the appropriate oversight body, and we encourage the oversight bodies to carry out their investigations swiftly and thoroughly.

Sayed Alwadaei

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the trial in Bahrain of Sayed Nizar Alwadaei which resulted in an additional three-year prison sentence on 29 November; and whether representatives of the UK Government attended his trial.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain continue to monitor this case and we have raised it with the Government of Bahrain. British officials regularly attend the hearings of high profile cases in which we have an interest. We understand there is a right of appeal to this sentence.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government upon which departmental budget the costs of UK aid given to persons and institutions damaged in the recent hurricanes and storms in the Caribbean and South-Western United States has been allocated.

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost to the UK of aid given in connection with the recent hurricanes and storms in the Caribbean and South-Western United States.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has provided £92 million of funding in response to the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and is matching public donations to the British Red Cross Appeal up to £3 million. On 27 November the Prime Minister announced a further £70 million package of recovery and reconstruction support for the affected Overseas Territories. This will be delivered over the next three years and will be supplemented by up to £300 million of loan guarantees.£72 million of the immediate response and early recovery funding has been allocated to the UK Overseas Territories. This is being managed through the cross-Whitehall Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and is being delivered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development (DFID), the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and the Department of Health. In addition £20 million of official development assistance​ has also been allocated from the DFID budget for the response to the impact in Barbuda and Dominica.The £70 million long term recovery and reconstruction package will also be governed by the CSSF.

International Assistance

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which sanctions have harmed humanitarian efforts to help civilian populations in countries such as Iraq and Syria; and whether they intend to report to Parliament on that matter on a regular basis.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government pursues a policy of targeted sanctions aimed at maximising the desired political effect while minimising unintended consequences. This includes working with international and domestic partners to protect humanitarian efforts as far as possible from the impact of EU sanctions against Syria, UN sanctions against Iraq, and UN sanctions against Daesh and Al'Qaida. We engage regularly with charities and other implementing partners to minimise the impact of sanctions on these humanitarian efforts, for example through the guidance published on 19 October by Her Majesty's Treasury's Official of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The EU carries out regular reviews of its sanctions and the UN Security Council receives monitoring reports from panels of experts. The UK participates actively in these review processes and reports to Parliament on the EU's regular reviews of its sanctions regimes through the agreed scrutiny process for EU legislation.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Government Departments: Legatum Institute

lord radice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contacts each Government department has had with the Legatum Institute over the last 12 months.

lord callanan: Ministers and officials from the Department for Exiting the European Union are speaking with stakeholders from a variety of sectors, to understand their concerns and priorities regarding our exit from the EU. As part of this process, the Department has engaged with a range of domestic and EU-facing think tanks. These organisations have contributed to the dialogue around our EU withdrawal with a range of insights and opinions on proposed future arrangements, as well as on areas of impact for stakeholders across industry and society. Details of ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for Education

Office for Students: Business Interests

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the board of the Office for Students are (1) employed by, and (2) in receipt of remuneration from, a university in England; and what was the total amount ofthat remuneration in the 2016–17 tax year.

viscount younger of leckie: The Board for the Office for Students (OfS) currently exists in shadow form and will be legally constituted on 1 January 2018. The Board will be constituted with a mixture of executive and non-executive members that reflect the skills and experiences specified in Schedule 1 of the Higher Education and Research Act (2017). This includes a need for the Secretary of State to have explicit regard when appointing members for them to have experience of providing higher education on behalf of English higher education providers. In recognition of this, two of the members of the OfS shadow board are currently employed by a university in England. Professor Steve West, is employed and remunerated by the University of the West of England and David Palfreyman, is employed and remunerated by a college of the University of Oxford. Both are also currently members of the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) board and have been appointed onto the OfS Board to maintain continuity and manage a smooth transition to the new regulatory regime. As is common amongst regulators, including HEFCE, we will expect the OfS to operate an internal governance code, once established, that provides a clear declaration of the interests of members and ensures that individuals recuse themselves from any Board discussion where there is the potential for a conflict of interest. The declaration of interests of public appointees does not include the amount of remuneration from employment beyond the remuneration they receive from the public body of which they are members.

Social Services: Children

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the operating models of social care trusts in relation to improving local children’s services.

lord agnew of oulton: A small proportion of local councils have arrangements whereby some or the entirety of their service is run at arms’ length from the council, through a children’s services trust, including some that are in intervention. In two of these councils, Doncaster and Slough, the department established an independent trust after children’s social care services were found to be systemically and persistently inadequate. An evaluation of Doncaster Children’s Services Trust shows it was viewed favourably by its staff and has had a positive affect on culture and practice: the investment in staff, quality assurance and the way that the Trust communicates its work has led to a shift in culture. This has led to improved staff morale, workforce stability and some practice improvements. For example, the use of agency workers and staff turnover has reduced; and staff reported spending more time with children and families. However, it is too early to determine whether these changes will result in sustained improvements for children and families. An evaluation of Slough Children’s Services Trust is in progress.  Other alternative operating models are being tested by councils who are not in intervention. For example, ‘Achieving for Children’ (AfC) is a social enterprise company, set up and jointly owned by two councils, Richmond-upon-Thames and Kingston-upon-Thames. It has recently been funded by the Department for Education to expand to three more councils, the first of which is Windsor and Maidenhead, who joined in August 2017. A Department for Education review, published in 2016, into the establishment of AfC suggested that the main benefits of its creation were: better service quality; better staff engagement; higher levels of innovation; better recruitment and retention; and savings from the combining of services across the two local councils and the development of alternative revenue streams. The department is keen to broaden the developing evidence base on the potential of alternative delivery models to bring better outcomes for local councils. We are funding four projects to explore this through its ‘Innovation Programme’, and will be evaluating their efficacy.

Bath University: Pay

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers and the Higher Education Funding Council for England plan to investigate the decision-making process at the University of Bath which led to an "exit package" being paid to the Vice-Chancellor; what was the total value of that package; and whether they consider this was consistent with the proper and efficient use of public funds.

viscount younger of leckie: The government expects the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to look into issues related to value for money with regard to English higher education institutions. HEFCE has investigated the governance process at the University of Bath which led to the Vice-Chancellor being awarded their most recent salary increase. On the 20 November 2017 it published a report, containing recommendations relating to that governance process. The university has agreed to respond to those recommendations by 15 December 2017.Separately, the university’s governing body has agreed the retirement arrangements for the Vice-Chancellor. The university issued a press release on 28 November, confirming the details of the exit package.We understand that HEFCE is currently considering whether it should investigate the governance processes concerned with the Vice-Chancellor’s retirement.The government’s determination to ensure that students and the taxpayer receive value for money from the higher education sector underpin the reforms we are making through the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. The Office for Students (OfS) will become the regulator for the sector in 2018. The OfS has a statutory duty to have regard to the need to promote value for money in the provision of higher education by English higher education providers.

Home Education

baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of children who are excludedandsubsequently home-schooled.

baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of pupils who were taken out of school to visit families abroad,in (1) Pakistan, and (2) elsewhere, and who are subsequently home-schooled following their return in the last five years; and what proportion of those studentswere teenage girls.

baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pupils in the last academic year were taken out of school to be home-schooled.

lord agnew of oulton: The department does not collect information on the number of children that are home educated. Parents are not under any duty to register with their local council when they home educate and so there is no reliable basis on which to collect statistics.

Out-of-school Education

baroness morgan of huyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of children in unregistered schools whoarenotionally home-schooled.

lord agnew of oulton: National statistics are not centrally collected for the number of children being taught at unregistered schools who are notionally home schooled.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Females

baroness healy of primrose hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their strategy for female offenders in England and Wales.

lord keen of elie: We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. Considering how we can best address the needs of female offenders, to improve outcomes for them, their families and their communities, is a complex issue that we want to get right. We are developing a strategy for female offenders to improve outcomes for women in the community and custody. This will be published in due course.

Offenders: Females

baroness healy of primrose hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the cross-government suicide prevention strategy, including action on self-harm, will form part of their strategy on female offenders in England and Wales.

lord keen of elie: We are committed to improving the safety of female offenders to reduce rates of self-harm and prevent deaths. The cross-government suicide prevention strategy recognises the importance of working across criminal justice settings to reduce suicide and self-harm. This approach will be reflected in our female offender strategy, alongside our work with the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody on the results of their rapid information gathering exercise on Preventing the Deaths of Women in Prison.

Prisoners: Parents

baroness healy of primrose hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children in England and Wales have had a parent in prison in the last seven years.

lord keen of elie: The government is committed to supporting prisoners to establish or maintain relationships with their families and significant others where appropriate. My Noble Friend, Lord Farmer, published his report in August, produced on behalf of the Government, which we have warmly welcomed. Work has already commenced on taking forward some of the important recommendations from this review.The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the number of children who have a parent in prison. An MoJ longitudinal study of adult prisoners estimated that there were around 200,000 children who had a parent in prison at some point during 2009.In 2015, MoJ published estimates of the proportions of adult female offenders in 2012 who had one or more dependent children in their care at the time of their disposal. This analysis estimated that between 13-19% of women serving an immediate custodial sentence had at least one dependent child in their care. On average, this group of women had 1.8 children each.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465916/female-offenders-child-dependents-statistics.pdf



Female Offenders and child dependent statistics
(PDF Document, 116.03 KB)

Marriage: Humanism

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Scotland and the Republic of Ireland having legal humanist marriages on the case for such recognition in England and Wales.

lord keen of elie: The Government has noted the use of humanist marriages in Scotland and has not carried out a specific assessment. The existing law on how and where people may marry in England and Wales presents different issues from other jurisdictions for the Government to consider.

Marriage: Humanism

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the fact that there are now more humanist marriages in Scotland than Church of Scotland marriages, what assessment they have made of the impact of extending legal recognition to humanist marriage on the number of people getting married overall.

lord keen of elie: The Government has noted the use of humanist marriages in Scotland and has not carried out a specific assessment. The existing law on how and where people may marry in England and Wales presents different issues from other jurisdictions for the Government to consider.

Magistrates' Courts

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Shailesh Vara MP on 25 February 2015 (HC 224618), what proportion of the total work undertaken in magistrates' courts was presided over by (1) lay magistrates, and (2) district judges, on 1 April in each year from 2015 to 2017.

lord keen of elie: For 1st April 2015 and 2017 the data are set out in the following table[1]: DateJudiciaryCases by numberCases in %01 April 2015Magistrates10,15089.90% District Judges114310.10%01 April 2016Magistrates6,83289.10% District Judges83310.90%01 April 2017[2]Magistrates51792.30% District Judges437.70%31 March 2017Magistrates5,68791.80% District Judges5108.20%03 April 2017Magistrates7,13088.70% District Judges91111.30% Magistrates and District Judges (Magistrates’ Courts) bring different but equally valuable skills to our justice system and the magistrates’ courts. We continue to work with magistrates to ensure they have as full a role as possible.   [1] ‘Cases’ provide a count of cases that have a hearing listed on the specified hearing date. It is possible for a single defendant to have more than one case listed at the same time. The data include Criminal, Civil, and Enforcement cases, but will exclude any work in the single family court. It is possible to have Magistrates sitting with District Judges in the same session; where this occurs the case will be counted under both.[2] 1st April 2017 was a Saturday so the data has also been provided for 31st March 2017 (the working day before) and 3rd April 2017 (the working day afterwards).  [1] ‘Cases’ provide a count of cases that have a hearing listed on the specified hearing date. It is possible for a single defendant to have more than one case listed at the same time. The data include Criminal, Civil, and Enforcement cases, but will exclude any work in the single family court. It is possible to have Magistrates sitting with District Judges in the same session; where this occurs the case will be counted under both.[1] 1st April 2017 was a Saturday so the data has also been provided for 31st March 2017 (the working day before) and 3rd April 2017 (the working day afterwards).

Ministry of Defence

Marines: Plymouth

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make any changes to the size and location of the Royal Marine garrisons in Plymouth.

earl howe: As part of the Service's Structural Rebalancing Plan earlier this year, 200 Royal Marines positions will be reassigned to the wider Royal Navy by 2020.As announced in November 2016, the Ministry of Defence intends to dispose of Royal Marines Stonehouse in 2023 and The Royal Citadel in 2024, and re-provide for Units from them in the Plymouth and Torpoint area. Exact locations are subject to on-going assessment. Parliament and staff within the impacted Units will be informed when a decision on reprovision has been made.

Armed Forces

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between morale and overstretched resources in the armed services; and what steps they intend to take to remedy this situation.

earl howe: The management of morale in the Armed Forces is a high priority for Defence. The Department seeks to measure morale in a robust, consistent and scientific manner, through forums such as the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey. Morale is influenced by many variables and the Department has made no specific assessment of a relationship with resourcing. We have launched the Armed Forces Families Strategy and the Armed Forces Covenant to improve the Service Offer and lived experience of Service personnel. We are also developing a number of other initiatives under the Armed Forces People Programme which is focused on modernising the employment offer for Service personnel to allow us to attract and retain the right mix of people and skills.

Armed Forces: Officers

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byEarl Howe on30November (HL3468), whether any honorary five-star officers are in regular service.

earl howe: There are no honorary five-star officers in Regular Service in the UK Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Wales

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which ten local authorities in Wales had (1) the lowest number, (2) the lowest percentage, (3) the highest number, and (4) the highest percentage, of individuals in receipt of social security payments, in the last year for which figures are available.

baroness buscombe: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Such information that is available for Wales is published by the Welsh Government on gov.wales

Employment and Support Allowance

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been spent in (1) the past 12 months, and (2) each year since 2014, on the administration of Employment and Support Allowance mandatory reconsiderations in (a) England, (b) Scotland, and (c) Wales.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been spent in (1) the past 12 months, and (2) each year since 2014, on the process of administering Employment and Support Allowance tribunals in (a) England, (b) Scotland, and (c) Wales.

baroness buscombe: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is was the value of Pension Credit in each year since it was introduced from 2010–11; and what is their estimate of what that value would be from April 2018 if Pension Credit had been increased by the triple lock which has applied to the Basic State Pension.

baroness buscombe: Pension Credit was introduced in October 2003 and has a number of elements, including additional amounts for severe disability for example. Table 1 below shows the value of the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee (PC SMG) for single claimants in weekly terms, between 2010/11 and 2017/18. Table 1: Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee for single claimants, 2010/11 to 2017/18YearRate2010/11£132.602011/12£137.352012/13£142.702013/14£145.402014/15£148.352015/16£151.202016/17£155.602017/18£159.35  In 2018/19, the PC SMG will be £163.00 per week for single claimants. It is estimated that, if from 2010/11 the PC SMG had been uprated in the same way that the basic State Pension was uprated; then the PC SMG for single claimants would be £171.20 per week in 2018/19.

Pension Credit

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many single (1) women, and (2) men, over 80 years old are in receipt of Pension Credit.

baroness buscombe: In May 2017, there were 445,302 single women aged over 80 that were claiming Pension Credit, and 97,080 single men aged over 80 that were claiming Pension Credit.

Poverty

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 28 July (HL954), in what ways, and by which means, (1) ministers, and (2) departments, work together to tackle the root causes of poverty, including through (a) committees, (b) units, (c) taskforces, and (d) forums.

baroness buscombe: Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, set out a framework for improving outcomes for disadvantaged children, now and in the future. The Department for Work and Pensions continues to work with key stakeholders and with other Departments to take forward the four policies set out in the paper. Further announcements will be made in due course. This paper also set out national statutory and non-statutory indicators to track progress in tackling worklessness and associated disadvantages that can affect families’ and children’s lives. We made available the latest analysis and an evidence base to enable local authorities, local partners and others to understand, and act on, the complex factors of disadvantage in their local area. This includes local-level data on the factors of disadvantage that are available through a local government data tool (LG Inform). The Department for Work and Pensions works across government and is represented at a ministerial level at a number of groups and forums which focus on supporting those who are most disadvantaged, including the Social Reform Committee, Inter Ministerial Groups on Homelessness, Gangs and Violence against Women and Girls and the Drugs Strategy Group. In the future DWP will co-chair the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

Poverty

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with the devolved administrations since 2010about possible coordinated actions across the UKto reduce (1) poverty, and (2)child poverty; whether they have learned any lessons from specific initiatives introduced by those administrations that maynowbe applied in England; and if so, what.

baroness buscombe: This Government is committed to an approach to tackling poverty that goes beyond a focus on the safety net of the welfare system. Work is the best route out of poverty and our welfare reforms are designed to incentivise employment and support people to progress in work. There are now 954,000 fewer workless households and 608,000 fewer children in workless households across the UK compared with 2010. Through Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families we have set out a framework for a continued focus for improving outcomes for workless families, now and in the future. The Scottish Government has powers in the Scotland Act 2016 to introduce new provision in areas where responsibility is devolved and the Devolved Government in Wales and Scotland are also free to develop their own approaches to tackling child poverty. Officials in DWP continue to have regular engagement with devolved administrations on a wide range of welfare issues, including constructive discussions about the Improving Lives evidence base and approaches to tackling poverty.

Poverty

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to respond to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's finding that 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners have fallen into relative poverty since 2012–13; and what assessment they have made of (1) when, and (2) at what level, that trend will peak.

baroness buscombe: The figures quoted in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report are taken directly from the Department’s Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series, which was published in March 2017. This publication also shows on an after housing costs basis over the same period 2012/13 to 2015/16, the number of people in absolute low income (where the poverty line moves with inflation), fell by 1.1m individuals, including 200,000 children and 100,000 pensioners. This shows that real incomes are increasing at the lower end of the distribution. However we are not complacent. For children we are committed to action that tackles the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage, with policies that incentivise employment being the best route out of poverty and ultimately improving children’s long-term outcomes. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, includes nine national indicators to track progress in tackling the disadvantages that affect families and children. Four of these measures are set out in Primary legislation and place a duty on the Government to report annually to Parliament on the parental worklessness and educational attainment indicators. Data on the non-statutory indicators will also be published each year. For pensioners, we are committed to protecting up to the full amounts of the basic and new State Pensions through the Triple Lock and to supporting vulnerable pensioner households with pension credit. Pensioners are also supported with Winter Fuel Payments, free TV licences for those aged 75 and over and the free bus pass. The Department does not forecast estimates of low income, but the next HBAI publication for 2016/17 data has been pre-announced in line with National Statistics protocols and will be published by the end of March 2018. The government is committed to continue publishing this series on an annual basis.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Planning

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyare planning to require local authorities to conduct planning and conservation processes speedily and within set timeframes.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The performance of local planning authorities in deciding all types of applications for planning permission is crucial to achieving our objective of building the homes this country needs.That is why we continuously monitor the performance of local planning authorities in determining planning applications for major and non-major development, through our designation regime.Local planning authorities are required to determine more than 60 per cent of major applications and 70 per cent of non-major applications within the statutory timescales. If a local planning authority falls below this figure within a defined 24 month period then they risk being designated as under-performing.Should an authority be designated as under-performing, applicants will have the option of submitting applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate (who act on behalf of the Secretary of State) for determination.

HM Treasury

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, prior to the suspension of the alcohol duty escalator announced in the Budget Statement, they conducted a risk assessment of the effects and consequences for the NHS; and if so, what that risk assessment showed.

lord bates: The government ended the alcohol duty escalator for beer in 2013, and for cider, wine and spirits in 2014. A Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) was published alongside these measures which set out the government’s assessment of the impacts of ending the beer duty escalator. The relevant TIINs for the 2013 changes are attached. For the 2014 changes please see Section A63 of the Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates document which is also attached. A separate assessment of the specific impact on the NHS was not undertaken. 



Tax and legislation rules
(PDF Document, 999.27 KB)




Beer duty rates
(PDF Document, 46.52 KB)

EU Staff: Pensions

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their liability to continue to contribute towards the pensions of retired EU officials after Brexit; and what is their estimate of the cost of any such liability.

lord bates: Following on from the Prime Minister’s speech in Florence, the Joint report on progress during phase 1 of negotiations under Article 50 TEU on the UK’s orderly withdrawal from the EU lays down the methodology agreed for calculating the financial settlement. The UK will contribute its share of the financing of the Union’s liabilities incurred before 31 December 2020, including pensions, as they fall due. The current liability associated with pensions is given in the Annual Accounts of the European Union 2016. As the Joint Report states, this liability has a long time-span and the forecast of its net present value depends on a number of assumptions and is sensitive to, in particular, the real discount rate, which has a historically low value at the time of drafting of the report.

International Assistance

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are planning to assist the actions of NGOs in relation to vulnerable populations by leading an international initiative to establish secure and protected licensed financial routes in order to finance humanitarian and reconstruction work in sanctioned areas, such as Syria.

the earl of dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government which measures they intend to adopt to support the efforts in Syria and surrounding countries of small NGOs, particularly in relation to (1) the holding of bank accounts in the UK, and(2) the receipt or transfer of funds.

lord bates: The Government is supporting NGOs to provide vital humanitarian services in Syria. The Government is also working domestically and internationally, with both the banking sector and NGOs, to ensure payment channels are available and secure. The Government recognises the difficulties some NGOs are facing in accessing banking services in the UK. Indeed, the Government has received representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals who have been affected by bank account closures, including from the charitable sector. This is a global problem, with the Government taking steps to address this internationally and domestically. The UK put the issue on the G20 agenda in 2015, which led to an Action Plan being undertaken by the Financial Stability Board, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF), the International Monetary Fund and other relevant bodies. As a result of this initiative, FATF has amended the global AML/CTF standard relating to non-profit organisations, to ensure that banks take a risk-based approach to managing the risk of criminal and terrorist exploitation of this sector. In addition, FATF has produced guidance to support the effective and proportionate management of money laundering/terrorism financing risks by correspondent banks and money service businesses providing similar services. Domestically, the Government has encouraged the banking sector to develop new due diligence guidance specifically for smaller NGOs in the charitable sector and will support the banks in the development of a common understanding of the due diligence requirements to help minimise the impact on smaller NGOs. HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation also published guidance on 19 October 2017 for charities and NGOs to raise awareness and promote compliance with financial sanctions.[1] For the longer term, in order to continue dialogue with the NGO community on banking access and payments in high risk jurisdictions, including Syria, a Government-NGO Working Group has been established to better understand concerns and explore possible solutions. The group is currently examining the specific challenges faced in getting aid into hard-to-reach communities.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-to-help-charities-comply-with-financial-sanctions ;https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/653168/OFSI_Charity_FAQ_web.pdf

Cabinet Office

Brexit: Wales

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will respond to the Welsh Government’s document, Brexit and Devolution, sent to them in June; and whether they will publishthat response.

lord young of cookham: The Government continues to respond to the Welsh Government’s document, Brexit and Devolution, through bilateral meetings between the First Minister of Wales and the First Secretary of State and also through multilateral meetings such as the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations.

Lipodystrophy

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the premature mortality rates for patients diagnosed with lipodystrophy in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and I will place a copy of their letter in the Library of the House.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 72.04 KB)

Unemployment: Wales

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were registered as unemployed in each Welsh local authority in (1) 1990, (2) 2000, (3) 2005, (4) 2010, and (5) 2015.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and I will place a copy of their letter in the Library of the House.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 222.75 KB)

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Smoking

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy in relation to smoking on reality TV shows, particularly in regard to the risk thatsmoking amongst young people might be glamourised.

lord ashton of hyde: Broadcasting regulation is a matter for Ofcom, the independent regulator. Ofcom takes the protection of children and young people very seriously - and that is why there are already specific restrictions on the portrayal of smoking on television. The government does not interfere in editorial decisions and it is for content makers to decide what to include in their programmes, provided that they comply with the Broadcasting Code.

Government Departments: Data Processing

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Framework for Data Processing by Government provisions in the Data Protection Bill on the Cabinet Office strategy to make better use of data.

lord ashton of hyde: We have already engaged with the Cabinet Office Better Use of Data team and will continue to do so in the development of the Framework.

Arts: Commonwealth

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage performing arts organisations, museums and galleries to celebrate the Commonwealth prior to the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018.

lord ashton of hyde: The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has written to the Department's Arms Length Bodies to increase and encourage participation in the Commonwealth Summit celebrations. Departmental officials are continuing to work with the Commonwealth Summit Unit to put together a national package.

Department of Health

Mental Health Services: Staff

baroness burt of solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the next Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Workforce Census Report will be published.

lord o'shaughnessy: Health Education England is due to publish its 2016 Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Workforce Census Report in spring 2018.

Mental Health

baroness burt of solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to meeting the targets set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.

lord o'shaughnessy: Delivering parity of esteem for mental health remains a priority for this Government and we are committed to achieving the vision set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health in 2016 in full. We published the Government’s response to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health in January 2017 and alongside this the Prime Minister set out a wide range of mental health reforms. We are working across Government, its agencies and with stakeholders to implement this ambitious agenda to transform mental health services. Since the publication of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, NHS England has been working across the National Health Service and its arm’s length bodies to implement the NHS recommendations. NHS England published Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health earlier this year to show progress one year on. NHS England monitors progress on implementing these recommendations through the national Mental Health and Dementia Programme Board, which regularly reports progress to Ministers. We hold NHS England to account for delivery through the NHS Mandate. The Government’s Inter-Ministerial Group for Mental Health, led by the Department, oversees delivery of the Government’s ambitious agenda on mental health across Government Departments.

Mental Health Services: Finance

baroness burt of solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the additional £2.8 billion resource funding announced for the NHS in the Budget will go to mental health.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is already committed to backing the National Health Service with an additional £8 billion, in real terms, by 2020/21. As part of the Budget announcement on 22 November, we have now committed to backing the NHS in England further so that by 2019/20 it will have received an additional £2.8 billion of revenue funding for frontline services than previously planned over the period. This includes £335 million this winter to help trusts to increase capacity. We have also committed £3.5 billion of new capital investment by 2022/23 to transform its estate and drive further efficiency savings. The use of this funding allocation is a matter for NHS England. Decisions on funding have yet to be made, but the Mental Health Investment Standard makes clear that mental health investment must increase as a proportion of each clinical commissioning group’s spend each year. The Government is committed to parity of esteem between mental health and physical health and delivering the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. We have backed this with a significant increase in funding – spending on mental health has increased to a record £11.6 billion, with a further £1 billion on top of this by 2020/21. We are also investing an additional £1.4 billion in mental health services for children and young people.

Alcoholic Drinks: Older People

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to measures to help older generations in England cut down alcohol consumption.

lord o'shaughnessy: Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for commissioning effective drug and alcohol prevention and treatment services based on an assessment of local need. Public Health England supports LAs in this work, by providing bespoke data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice to help LAs meet the needs of their local population, including older people. In addition, the UK Chief Medical Officers have produced new low risk drinking guidelines which provide the public with the latest information about the health risks of different levels and patterns of drinking. The guidelines enable people to make informed choices about their drinking. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines are attached.



UK Chief Medical Officers' Guidelines
(PDF Document, 323.17 KB)

Lipodystrophy

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure early diagnosis and referrals to specialist care for patients with lipodystrophy.

lord o'shaughnessy: In 2012, Cambridge University Hospital was commissioned as a single Highly Specialised Service for Severe Insulin Resistance service which can assess, provide assistance with diagnosis, and treat patients with generalised or partial lipodystrophy. Based at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, the National Severe Insulin Resistance Service provides a multidisciplinary NHS service for patients with severe insulin resistance and / or lipodystrophy from across England. The service supports both adult and paediatric patients. Patients who meet the relevant criteria can be referred to the service by their treating clinician. A copy of Information for referring clinicians, including details of the referral criteria, is attached.



Information for referring clinicians
(PDF Document, 914.46 KB)

Veterans: Mefloquine

lord stirrup: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) identify, (2) monitor, and (3) assist, those veterans who were prescribed mefloquine while in the military before the introduction of recent safeguards.

lord o'shaughnessy: Any veteran presenting to his or her National Health Service general practitioner (GP) with side effects of any medication will receive care in line with national guidelines. In making a clinical judgement about any patient, the GP will consider a number of factors, including relevant medical history, and will be treated appropriately. GP registration forms include a section to complete if a patient has served in the armed forces. Armed forces’ medical records can be accessed by NHS clinicians.

Dental Services: Children

baroness benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend NHS England's new Starting Well: A Smile4Life Initiative beyond the 13 areas in which it is initially being dleivered.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England’s Starting Well programme will work in 13 high needs areas to reach children most at risk of tooth decay who are not currently seeing a dentist. Alongside this, NHS England is also developing a complementary Starting Well Core offer, a commissioning approach designed to facilitate increased access and early preventive care for young children. The offer will be made available in 2018, with NHS England commissioners making local decisions on use based on their assessment of need locally.

Sugar: Sales Promotions

baroness benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to limit the availability of high sugar products (1) in supermarket price promotions, and (2) at the point of sale.

lord o'shaughnessy: Key measures in our world-leading childhood obesity plan, launched in August 2016, include the soft drinks industry levy and sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme, which will encourage the food and drink industry to reduce the amount of sugar in products popular with children. Monitoring of progress by Public Health England (PHE) towards achieving the 20% sugar reduction by 2020 will be achieved through the use of sales weighted average sugar levels and reviewing changes in product sales towards lower or no added sugar products. If businesses over-promote high sugar products, they will be less likely to achieve the sales weighted average sugar level per 100 grams for the 20% reduction. PHE will publish a detailed assessment of progress against delivering the 5% sugar reduction for the first year of the programme in March 2018. We will use this to determine whether sufficient progress has been made and whether alternative levers need to be considered.

Dental Health: Children

baroness benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publiish the next Child Dental Health Survey.

lord o'shaughnessy: The national Child Dental Health Surveys are undertaken every 10 years and the next survey is due to be undertaken in 2023. The last survey for England, Wales and Northern Ireland took place in 2013 and the findings were published in March 2015. A copy of the Children’s Dental Health Survey 2013: Executive Summary is attached.



Children's Dental Health Survey 2013
(PDF Document, 307.32 KB)

Dental Health

baroness benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the next Adult Dental Health Survey.

lord o'shaughnessy: No decisions have been taken yet on the timing of the next Adult Dental Health Survey.

Lipodystrophy

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatis their estimate of the total costs of treating lipodystrophy in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

lord o'shaughnessy: No assessment or estimate has been made by NHS England of the total costs of treating lipodystrophy, as there are many different types and causes of lipodystrophy, including inherited cases or those caused by HIV treatments. NHS England commissions the National Severe Insulin Resistance Service to provide a multidisciplinary NHS service for patients with severe insulin resistance and/or lipodystrophy from across England. The service supports both adult and paediatric patients and is available to assess, help diagnose, and treat patients with generalised or partial lipodystrophy.